Apparatus for making box-strapping.



PATENTED NOV. 5, 1607.

E. S. NORTON. APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOX STRAPPING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1906.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

E. S. NORTON.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOX STRAPPING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1906.

. 5 SHBETSSHEET 2 PATENTED NOV. 5, 1 907.

B. s. NORTON. APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOX STRAPPING.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 14, 1906.

5 sums-sum a.

PATENTED NOV. 5,1901% E.S.NOR'] .0N..

APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOX STRAPPING.

APPLICATION IIVLED AUG.14; 1906.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

'E. S. NORTON. APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOX STRAPPING.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

i ww an APPLIOATION FILED AUG.14, 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIOTT S. NORTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ACME FLEXIBLE CLASP COMPANY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOB MAKIN BOX-STRAPPING.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed August 14 1 906- Ssrial No. 330.556-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLIOTT S. NORTO residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Making Box-Strapping, as set forth in the annexed specification. i

The present invention relates to the manufacture of what is known in the trade as flat wire box strapping, the same consisting of a comparatively narrow metal strip formed at intervals with eyes through whichfastenings are driven when the strapping is appliedto a box or like article. I

The principal object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for automatically turning out such a product by continuous operation upon a blank metal strip drawn from the reel. A'product of this character must of course be turned out in large quantities at a minimum expense of labor inorder that it may be profitably marketed. I Q r The present invention provides for converting the blank metal strip into finished box strapping by the automatic operations of a single machine which can be run at a high speed. The blank strip enters such machine through suitable guides and is scored on opposite sides at proper intervals and passes on to be expanded at the scored portions whereby eyes are produced, the expanded strip being finally 'fiattened out to remove irregularities which may be produced in the expanding operation.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus for carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 represents such apparatus in top plan view; Fig. 2 represents sections of a metal strip illustrating different stages in the operations performed uponit Fig. 3 represents said apparatus in side elevation;

' 4 represents the same inlongitudinal "section with some P t b e a ay; F g- ..is an 'rid'el vation of erta n in d vi e s- 6 i 'p i pee ve view th same.

7 i a p rspe e a l f as member 9f thi guiding structure; Fig. 8 represents in perspective anthe u d ng stru tur Fig- 9 s ereee-ee tien f he am i l0 a d Here detai p r ective efineuib re oi the es -nam d i id n stmeture; B g 2 repre ents po i n o he ori g rolls in ide elevati n wi h p lt broken out'toishow others sectiouj Fig. 13 represents a section taken on t e line 13 .1 oi Fi ."1-2;j's 4 r p nt a qcdring tool and holder ei pe ti i F 15 represents in perspective the tool detachedjEig. :16

represents an axial section of ercpanding rolls; 17 shows an expanding tool inpempective; Fig. 18 shows anerrpanding die in perspective; and Fig. l9 shows in perspecti ve a holder for expanding tool.

The reference numeral 2 designates the bed plate of :the machine supported on suitable legs and upon which are erected a series of housings. for the roll gear wheel 26 on theshaft' lffi'said gear The rolls comprise a scoring set, an expanding set and. a flattening set all arranged in tandernJ The blank metal strip 6 enters the machine at one end and is conducted through suitable guides to the scoring rolls.

The guiding structure is of the following description: Upon a cross-bar 3 of the supporting frame-work of the machine there is mounted a block 4 secured in place by a cap plate 5 and bolts 6 and having bolted to its upper side a block 7. A flange 8 is bolted to one side of the block 4 and on the inner side of this flange there rests uponv the top of the block 4 a block 9 which is a counterpart of the block 7, both being tapered at their inner ends as shown in Fig. 6. The bolts 10 which secure the block!) to the block-4 pass loosely through the former so as to permit lateral movement thereof. Set screws 11 entered through the flange 8, bear against the block 9'ar 1dserve the pur pose of secnrely clampingbetween said block and its mate a pair of barsjl2 with a space between them constituting a guide-way for the metal strip. The dimensions and spacing apart of the bars will depend upon the character of the work, the described construction obviously providing for interchangeability of guide-bars and ad.- justment thereof to suit strips of different dimensions.

-These bars 12 taken together conform to. the contour of the blocks 7 and 9 being beveled at -the inner ends. The object of this beveling is to have the guide" extendv into the bight of the scoring'rolls as shown in Fig. 4. Said rolls are designated in the drawings by the numerals 13 and 14 and are secured to sllafts 15 andv 16 respectively journaled in box bearings and 18 in the housings l9, Springs 20.5.1 interposed between the bearings of the shafts and screws 21 entered thr ugh t 'e p P a s 22 th housi g 19 1 1- e s t u p f eeris W s the o l 11 P160111?! relation to-each other. Motion is transmitted to these, mi .irem e dri eha t 7 thwt h pii 'io z' m shins w t d e. 5 whi h in am ineehee 's e1 ine hms with a'ai'nii 'at was 27 on th satie. a as wn in Ea h 2 .11 .is' forme in its Perisher? a s es e equi i ant ce nd is thes ee e are secured to ol holders 28L Each toolfho lder {iii rm -ableek w h ew ea iie e were wi h contour oi the periph y f the mu and a rab beted inger to take (ii 9! the sides of bleek iih ld in he liee e eepe e P1 8 an some to was th P e h h e in t form a: scoring blade 3.0 adapted to project from the curved the roll. The scoring edge of the tool caused. to ject=eriactly the proper extent by the adj'ustment of a wedge 31 against the inclined surface of which the back surface 'of the block and hence from theperiphery 105 I of the tool bearsas shown in rig. is, thi wed e having a screwethreaded shank 3 2 ehgaged by a nut 33. The

tool is prevented from falling or being thrown out of the holder by a pin 34 which occupies a hole in the holder and is driven and held against the side of the tool by a tapered pin 35 passing at. right angles through the first-named pin as shown in Fig. 14.

The holders and tools are so located in the rolls and the latter so geared together as to cause the tools to arrive in pairs for action upon the strip, each pair co'n'rposed of a tool of each roll. The scoring edges of a pair of tools thus confront each other as they arrive at the bi ght of the rolls and with the metal strip passing between the rolls these edges will act simultaneously upon opposite sides of said strip scoring the same lengthwise in exact. registry. The opposed scoring edges do not come into contact with each other and thus do not score to a depth which would mean actually cutting through the strip. However, they do approach each other so nearly that although the metal; is not actually cut through what is. left of it betwm-uthe scoring edges is not sufficient to hold togetberand a break occurs extending throughout nearly if not. quite the full length of the scoring. The edges of the scoring tools are somewhat blunt and produce a slight spreading effect upon the metal strip as the metal gives way in the scored portions.

The scored strip passes from the scoring rolls to a second guiding structure of the following description: A. block 36 beveled on the under-side at one end is bolted to a cross-bar 37 of the supporting frame-work and is formed with a dove-tailed channel 38 receiving a bar 39 grooved-in its upper side to form part of a guide-way for .the metal strip. A somewhat similar but shorter bar- 40 fits inthe channel 38 above the bar 39 to-complete the guide-way. These bars have lugs 41- and 42,the former engaging an end surface of the block36 and the latter engaging a cross-bar 43 on said block, to prevent advance with the metal strip. Both barsare beveled at their forward ends to accommodate the bight of the expanding rolls and both bars are bifurcated as shown at 44 and 45 to permit the passage of the expanding tools. The bar 39 is interchangeable with others to provide for different dimensions of metal strips, the groove of different bars varying accordingly.

The rolls which perform the expanding orspreading operation are designated by the numerals 46 and 47 the same being secured to shafts 48 and 49 journaled in box bearings 50 fitting slideways of housings 51. Screws 52 entered through cap plates 53 of said housings engage the upper box bearings and serve to secure the proper relative adjustment of the rolls. Motion is transmitted to the latter through the medium of a gear wheel 54 meshing with the idler 25 and secured to the shaft 48 and a similar gear wheel 55 secured to the shaft 49 and meshing with said gear wheel 54. The upper roll 47 is recessed in its periphery to receive holders for the expandingtools, each holder being in the form of a block .56 rabbeted to takeover the outer sides of the roll and cross-slotted as shown at-57 to receive the tool 58. The latter is shown in perspective in' Fig. 17' and is inthe form of a blade tapered .in both directions to a blunt point. It is held in place by a tapered pin 59 engaging grooves in the block 56 and in the tool, said pin also serving to hold the block, in the roll by engaging grooves in the latter as shown in Fig. 4'. The doubletapered portion of the tool projects from the periphery bar 40.

tool as illustrated in Fig. 16.

of the roll and is adapted to enter the scoredportion of the strip as the latter arrives at the bight of the rolls 46 and 47. Of course these rolls and the scoring rolls are properly timed to insure a scored portion of the strip arriving in position to be acted upon as each expanding tool passes through the bifurcation of the upper guide As this tool descends and turns its forward edge will enter the score in the upper side of the strip, the point of the tool immediately following so that when the tool arrives at a perpendicular position as shown in Fig. 4 it has forced its way through the strip spreading it apart and forming an eye with; the general crosssectional contour of the base of the tool. As the roll 47 continues to rotate and the strip is'fedforward the tool of course turns and rises through the eye'and leaves the strip. In the present instance four of such tools are shown arranged to act upon the strip one after an other andthere are represented twice as many pairs of scoring tools but this arrangement is of course subject to modification. l

The lower roll 46 carries dies to cooperate with 'the spreading and expanding tools so as to properly supportthe strip on opposite sides of the scoring'while the said tool is forcing its way through the strip. 5 Each die is composed of two members. in the form of blocks 60 rabbeted at the ends to take over the-sides of the roll and at the sides to engage under-cut portions'of recesses in the periphery of the roll. The blocks are arranged to slide inthese recesses and are held together by spiral springs 61 pressing against their outer ends, said springs being confined in place by projections on the-heads of serews-62 engaging tapped holes in collar 63 secured to the shaft 48. By turning said screws the tension of the springs may be regulated. The blocks 60 abut exactly in the line of travel of the front edges of the expanding tools and there are of course as many dies in the roll 46 as there are tools in the roll 47 and they are so located that the die arrives simultaneously with thetool at the bight of the rolls. The forward edge of the tool forces its way between the blocks 60 which retreat as the tool advances but always hug the latter closely thereby supporting the metal of the strip on both sides of the Of course as the tool withdraws from the metal strip it leaves the die and the members of the latter are brought together again by the action of the springs 61.

Assome distortion of the strip is likely to take place notwithstanding the employment of the dies above de-' scribed, a pair of rolls 65 are employed to roll the expanded strip out fiat, these rolls being secured to shafts 66 journaled in box bearings 67 fitting housings 68.. Set 1 screws 69 entered through caps 70 of'said housings and engaging said shafts serve to hold said rolls in proper relation to each other. The expanded strip passes directly from the second set of rolls to this set of flattening 0r finishing rolls-as sh wn in Fig. 4 and the latter not' only operate in rotation to flatten the strip but also exert a pull thereon, being speeded somewhat beyond the said second set of rolls. The shafts 66 carrygear wheels 70 meshing'with each other and one of them meshing with an idler 71 which in turn engages thegear wheel 54. The number of teeth in this gear wheel 70 is slightly in excess of the number of teeth in the gear wheel 54 so that in rotationthe rolls 65 which are of the same diameteras the rolls 46 and 47 have a surface speed in excess of the latter. The rolls 65 thus exert a drag or pull on the strip to keep it taut and assist in feeding it through the several sets of rolls.

It will now be seen that the above described appa- 'ratus is well calculated to thoroughly fulfil the object primarily stated. At the same time it is to be understood that the construction here shown may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is: v

1 In a machine of the character described the combination 01' means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both, sides, and means for expanding the strip in the scored lengths thereof.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, means for expanding the strip in the scored lengths thereof and means for flattening the expanded strip.

' 3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of rolls carrying pairs of scoring tools to act on on posite sides of the strip, and means for expanding the strip in the scored lengths thereof.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combina- 1611 of rolls carrying pairs of scoring tools to act on 0pposite sides of the strip and a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of rolls carrying pairs of scoring tools to act on opposite sides of the strip, a roll carrying-expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip and a companion roll carrying dies to receive the said expanding tools. I

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of rolls carrying pairs of scoring tools to act an opposite sides of the strip, means for expanding the strip in the scored lengths thereof and means for flattening the expanded strip.

'7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of rolls carrying pairs of scoring tools to act on opposite sides of the strip, means for expanding the strip in the scored lengths thereof and rolls for flattening the ex pandedstrip. 4

S. In a machine of the character described, the combination of rolls carrying pairs of scoring tools to act on opposite sides of the strip, a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of .the strip and means foiflattening the expanded strip. v

9. In a machine of the character described, the combina tion of rolls' carrying pairs of scoring tools to act on opposlte sides of the strip, a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip and rolls for flattening the expanded strip.

10. In a machine of the character described,- the combination of rolls carrying pairs of scoring tools to act on opposite sides of the strip, a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip, a companion roll carrying dies to receive the said expanding tools, and

means for flattening the expanded strip.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combi nation of rolls carrying pairs of scoring tools to act on op posite sides of the strip. a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip, a companion roll carrying dies to receive the said expanding tools and rolls for flattening tire expanded strip.

12. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, and a roll carrying expanding tools topass through the scored parts of the strip. 13. In a mach ne of the character described, the combi nation -of meaus'for scoring the blank strip a t-intervals on both sides, a roll carrying expanding tpols to pass through the scored parts of the strip and a companion roll carrying dies for said expanding tools to enter.

d4. Ins-machine of the character describedftbe combination of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip and means for flattening the expanded strip.

15. In aniachine of the character described, the combination of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip and rolls for flattening the expanded strip. 7 I

16. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts ofthe strip, a companion roll carrying dies for said expanding tools to enter and means for flattening the expanded strip.

17. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip, a companion roll carrying a roll carrying expanding toolsto pass through the scored parts of the strip, rolls for flattening the expanded strip, and gearing connecting said rolls with the expanding tool roll with provisions for increased sur-- face speed of the flattening rolls,

20. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the strip, aicompanion roll carrying dies for said expanding tools to enter, rolls for flattening the expanded strip, and gearing connecting said rolls, with the expanded tool and die rolls with-provisions for increased surface speed of the flattening rolls.

21. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for scoring the blankstrip at intervals, :1 roll .carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts-of the strip, a companion roll carrying dies for said expanding tools to enter, rolls for'flattening the expanded strip, and gearing connecting said rolls with the expanding tool and idle rolls with provisions for increased surface speedoi. the flattening rolls.

22. In a machine of, 'the character described, the combi- I nation of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, a rollcarrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the'strip, rolls for flattening the expanded strip andgearing connecting said rolls with the expanding tool roll with provisions for increased surface speed of the flattening rolls substantially as and for the purpose described.

23. In a machine of the character described, the comhination of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, a roll carrying expanding tools to pass through the scored parts of the strip, a companion roll carrying dies for said expanding tools-to enter, rolls for flattening'the expanded strip andggaring connecting said rolls with the expanding-tool nd die rolls with provisions for increased surface speed of the flattening rolls; substantially as and for the purpose described.

'24. In a machine of the character described, a str.ip guide comprising a 'fixed block, a movable block and a pair of. bars interposed between said blocks and adapted to be clamped in place by adjustment of the movable block, a guideway for the strip being formed between said bars.

25. In 'a machine of the character described, the combination of a pair of peripherally recessed rolls, slotted tool holders occupying the rcessestbere'of, means for securing said holders in the recesses, scoring blades oc-' copying the slots of the holders, wedges in the latterfor determining the amount of projection of the blades from the peripheries of the-polls, and means for preventing outward movement of the blades after adjustment 26. In a machine of the character described, a strip guide comprising a block with a dovetail channel, and a pair of grooved bars occupying said channel and formed with lugs to prevent longitudinal movement.

-1. In a machine of the character described, a stri guide comprising a block with a dovetail channel, and a l nation with a roll carrying expanding tools, 0! a compair of grooved bars occupying said channel and formed with lugs to prevent longitudinal movement said liars being bifurcated at the ends from which the strip issues."

28. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a roll carrying expanding toolsv of a companion roll recessed in its periphery, and dies occupying the recesses and each composed of a pair of sliding blocks spring-pressed 1owards each other.

".L In a machine of the character described, the combination with a roll carrying expanding tools, of .a com panion roll recessed in-its periphery, and dies occupying the recesses and each composed of a pair of sliding blocks spring-pressed towards each other with provisions for varying the spring pressure.

30. In a machine of the character described, the combipanion roll recessed in its periphery, dies occupying the recesses and each composed of a pair of sliding blocks, collars compounded with said companion roll,'screws carried by the collars, and springs interposed between said screws and the die-slides.

31. In a machine of the character described the combination of means for scoring the blank strip at intervals on both sides, and means for expanding the strip in the scored lengths thereof, with provisions for continuously advancing the strip.

ELLIOTT S. NORTON.

Witnesses: HAROLD G. BARRETT; LOUIS B. Enwm. 

